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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 51973, member: 636"] New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie issued a formal apology to the party's National Council for participating in a contested parliamentary rerun. The candidate addressed media representatives following a National Council session on July 14 that focused on preparations for the party's annual delegates conference. Afriyie acknowledged that her decision to contest the rerun represented poor judgment and emphasized her continued allegiance to the NPP. She stated that mistakes occur and the party had resolved the matter through her public expression of remorse. The candidate affirmed her commitment to moving forward with party unity. Her participation in the July 11 rerun directly violated official party instructions that rejected the Electoral Commission's call for additional voting. The NPP had declared Afriyie the legitimate winner of the December 2024 parliamentary election and refused to participate in what leadership termed an unnecessary and flawed electoral process. General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong criticized the Electoral Commission during a July 8 press briefing for allegedly ignoring voter preferences. He argued that all December election results had received proper verification from polling agents and commission officials. The party maintained that no legitimate grounds existed for conducting another vote. The Electoral Commission defended its rerun decision by citing procedural irregularities during the collation process. Officials pointed to missing presiding officer signatures on scanned documents from 19 polling stations that invalidated those results under electoral regulations. Afriyie lost the rerun to National Democratic Congress candidate Ewurabena Aubynn by 209 votes. The defeat marked a historic upset that delivered the NDC an unexpected victory in a traditional NPP stronghold. Party leadership appears focused on maintaining cohesion ahead of upcoming political challenges. [/QUOTE]

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